5 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped into small chips (I used Ghirardelli, which was fantastic)

Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking soda. Place the butter in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle (or use a hand mixer…) and beat until creamy. Add the sugars, salt and vanilla and beat for another couple minutes. With the mixer off, pour in the dry ingredients, lightly cover the mixer with a kitchen rag or a couple paper towels and beat or pulse slowly a few times, to just incorporate the flour. Only mix until the flour is no longer visible, then carefully mix in the chocolate chips and turn out onto a clean work surface. Divide the dough in two and form two logs, about 1 1/2″ in diameter. The dough will be very crumbly, so be sure not to overwork it…just roll the dough with as light a touch as you can. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.

To bake the cookies, slice the logs into 1/2″ thick coins (which will be crumbly…just lightly press them back together if they fall apart) and bake in a preheated oven at 325 for about 12 minutes. If you have more than one cookies sheet, bake them one at a time. Don’t let the cookies get overdone, either – they’ll feel underdone when they come out of the oven but will firm up in the next 5 minutes or so.

Why are you hiding, delicious little cookie?

These cookies are great fresh, hot and crumbly from the oven. They’re also really awesome once cooled and solid. The texture is light and delicate, but since they’re so dry they’ll keep well for the next few days in the ever-growing pile of airtight containers full of Christmas treats that is accumulating on the counter.

I also made vanilla bean meringues, and they are beautiful – both visually and in flavor! I had a great time shooting pictures of them, so look for those tomorrow or the next day…I just have to finish going through all the pictures. I have to go to the store before I can make more, though, as we’re down to the last half cup of sugar…and we’re running out of “real” food, too. I did make some really yummy banana muffins this morning, though…with chopped walnuts and chocolate chips (in some of them). Mmm…muffins.